I’ve recently learned coffee has some, at least to me, unexpected positive effects for office work. Apparently it was already known that the caffeine in coffee has analgesic capacities, and it is already being used as a component in some pain killers. Though, just a cuppa might do the trick as well. For those of us who work long hours on the computer, pain in neck, shoulders, arms and wrists probably sound familiar. Researchers have now discovered that drinking just one cup of coffee at breakfast might reduce these pains. For me, that makes two cups in the morning a necessity: one for waking up, one as preventive measure for all the administration awaiting me at the office.
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It is now officially proven: coffee helps to have a positive outlook on life! Previous studies had already shown that people are quicker in recognizing positive words, images and sounds compared to negative ones. To learn more about how this preference works German researchers did an experiment with caffeine. As it was already known that caffeine makes people respond quicker and make less mistakes when given simple mental exercises, one would expect that under the influence of caffeine people would recognize both positive and negative words quicker. The tests however showed this was not the case: 7% more positive words were recognized than other words. The researchers think this is due to caffeine stimulating a part of the brain that is linked to positivity. So, if you, like me, are not Mr. or Mrs. Sunshine when you wake up, a daily dose of coffee early in the morning does help beat that morning temper.
Even though for many a daily dose of coffee is a necessity, only a few will be willing to pay a small fortune for a cup of heavenly blackness. A quick glance at the five most expensive coffees in the world won’t hurt though. First off, and one I talked about in this previous post, is Kopi Luwak. In this Indonesian coffee a civet cat plays a major role in fermenting the beans by eating the cherries. As they can’t digest the beans, they come out the other end. For those of you who haven’t lost their appetite by knowing where your coffee has been, you can try it out yourself if you have between $115 to $590 to spare for half a kilo. Slightly cheaper is La Esmeralda, a coffee produced at the Esmeralda Jamarillo farm in Western Panama’s mountains. These carefully selected beans go for around $100 per 500 gram. In the same range, one finds St. Helena Coffee, produced at the small island with the same name. What makes it special is that it is made from a coffee variety that is exclusive to the island. It’ll set you back around $80 for half a kilo. Next up is Fazenda Santa Ines Coffee, named after the farm in Brazil it is produced at. To enjoy this coffee, produced without any automated process involved, you have to pay around $50 for 500g. And last in the line is probably the best known one, Blue Mountain Coffee, produced in the, you guessed it, Blue Mountains, in Jamaica. You can buy 500 gram for about $45.
The past Golden Week has involved travelling back home or exploring new horizons for many, and most likely this also involved plentiful food, so some may now be on the lookout to lose some weight. And you guessed it, coffee just might come to the rescue. Though, this time it’s not the drink, but all about the green, unroasted coffee beans.
In a rather remarkable study, presented earlier this year at a meeting of the American Chemical Society, scientists reported new evidence that green coffee beans can induce a rather substantial decrease in body weight in a relatively short period of time. They said that taking multiple capsules of green coffee extract a day, while eating a low-fat, healthy diet and exercising regularly, appears to be a safe, effective, and inexpensive way to lose weight. Just as well they use capsules, cause whereas roasted beans have a distinctive colour, aroma and flavor, the green beans have little aroma and a slightly bitter taste. Most people only think of coffee as the drink so needed to start the day, but some find more creative uses for coffee beans. Like Russian artist Arkady Kim, who recently created a stunning 30 square meter mural made entirely of roasted coffee beans. The picture, showing the face of a woman and a cup of coffee, consists of an astonishing 1 million coffee beans which were glued onto the panel one by one, which took the artist and his assistants ten days to complete. Photo Credits: ridus.ru | photoblog.msnbc.msn.com | arte.liquida.it
Source: http://www.boredpanda.com/worlds-largest-coffee-bean-mosaic-arkady-kim/ For most it is hard to imagine being denied access to their daily dose of coffee, though it has happened more than once in the past. The first time it happened in Mecca in the 16th century and lasted not less than 30 long years. Maybe not all too surprising, those coffee-less years were filled with debates between scholars and jurists, eventually won by those in favour of coffee. In the 17th century Charles the II tried to enforce the same ban in Europe, but never succeeded. Frederik the Great however did manage to ban coffee in Germany in that same century, out of concern too much money was flowing out of the country in exchange for this new popular beverage. And though coffee is now widely accepted and still an increasingly popular beverage, there remain a number of religions prohibiting its consumption.
A long term study by the American National Cancer Institute (NCI) shows a possible link between coffee consumption and longer life expectancy. At least for those aged between 50 and 71. No less than 400,000 people in this age groups participated in a questionnaire between 1995 and 1996, after which they were followed until the end of 2008. Taking into consideration other mortality factors like smoking or excessive use of alcohol, the researchers found that those that drank at least 3 cups of coffee (whether regular or decaffeinated) had better life expectations. There was a lower risk to die from cardiovascular or respiratory diseases, strokes, injuries, accidents, diabetes, or infections. Nevertheless, despite these promising results, the researchers claim there is no scientific basis that indicates that coffee indeed prolongs life.
Having had a few minor rains in the past, it looks like the rainy season now has really kicked off. And the start of the rains is as always followed by the blossom of the coffee trees. The first flowers showed themselves after the first rains, while last week there was a peak of blossoms, filling the air with an overwhelming, though still fragile scent of jasmine. In many places in the world, today is a day on which mother's are celebrated. The way in which will differ depending on where you live, but in many cases it will involve a small present made or bought by the kids and a nice breakfast prepared by them to start the day. And a nice cup of coffee is often part of hereof. And to make it really special, why not try one of the best coffees in the world? Ethiopian Yirgacheffee Coffee is grown in the mountainous regions of Ethiopia and presents one of the most complex flavour profiles. Depending on whether you pick a medium or a dark roast, this coffee is perfect to either start the day or as an after dinner coffee. Tanzanian Peaberry Coffee may be a bit more expensive, but rewards you with a journey in flavour. Its name is derived from the peaberries it is made off, being one whole bean instead of the regular two half beans one normally finds in a coffee cherry. Only about 7 percent of a coffee crop consists of these peaberries, hence the higher price. Sumatran Lintong Coffee is a perfect example of how paying more attention to the processing of the coffee beans results in an aromatic and rich coffee that can compete with the best coffees in the world. Hawaiian Kona coffee is another example of how the hard work of the coffee growers gets rewarded by a rich and light coffee, made from only the best coffee beans grown on the volcanoes of the Big Island of Hawaii. To get the best, make sure you have the one labeled 100% Kona, as others can contain other Arabica, or even Robusta beans, which alter the flavour. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee is probably the most well-known coffee of this list, and like the Hawaiian Kona Coffee, the growers fiercely protect their brand. You can hardly blame the farmers, given the reputation they have to protect. Source: www.talkaboutcoffee.com
Arabica coffee finds its origin in Ethiopia and throughout the centuries Ethiopians have developed a true coffee ceremony which is passed down from generation to generation. This ceremony is an integral part of their social and cultural life, and is considered a crucial part of friendship and respect. Traditionally the coffee ceremony takes place three times a day - in the morning, at noon and in the evening. It provides an opportunity within the village to share news, exchange gossip and discuss community, politics, life, etc. Usually the ceremony is conducted by a young woman, dressed in a traditional Ethiopian white dress. She starts by spreading fresh, aromatic grasses and/or flowers on the floor, and begins burning incense to ward off evil spirits. Then she continues by washing the raw coffee beans to remove the husks and other debris. Next the beans are roasted in a flat pan over a small charcoal stove, after which they are ground using a mortar and pestle. This ground coffee is transferred to a jebena, a traditional coffee pot, which is then filled with water and placed on a fire, where its contents is brought to a boil. This brewed coffee is poured into a decanter and cooled, then poured back into the jebena and brought to a boil again. This process is repeated once more. Then a filter is placed in the spout of the jebena to seperate the grounds from the coffee when it is poured. This pouring is a whole ritual in itself: the jebena is held about 30 cm above neat rows of delicate china cups, in which the coffee is poured in a single stream, ideally filling each cup without breaking the stream of coffee. And though this ceremony sounds pretty simple and straightforward, it can easily take up a few hours, no matter the time of day. One thing to remember, when invited to take part in this ceremony, it is impolite to retire until you have consumed at least three cups, as the third is considered to bestow a blessing.
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AuthorI wouldn't be surprised to find out I was born with a passion for coffee. For the life of me, I can't remember not loving coffee. And by that, I don't just mean drinking it, but everything involved from its cultivation over the processing to the final product that is my loyal companion throughout the day. Archives
February 2014
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